Research On Religion

Tony Carnes on Jesus’s Auto Body (and Soul) Shop, Blessed Pizza, and NYC Religions Part II

tonygill — Sun, 19 May 2013 08:00:49 +0000

Get ready to go on a journey — a fascinating, inspiring, and sometimes unusual journey — through the spiritual life of New York City. Following up on a previous podcast interview with Tony Carnes, who created and runs a research/journalism project known as A Journey Through NYC Religions, we walk through the various boroughs of Gotham to discover a circle of Korean limo drivers holding Bible study, a famous Harlem hat maker who helps troubled souls via a small chapel in her store, and an award-winning hair salon that favors spiritual healing over gossip. We also find out how (East Coast) Tony discovered a prayer group meeting on a Friday night in one of the seediest parts of the Bronx and located in Jesus’s Auto Body Shop, named after a certain envangelist who did his preaching two millenium ago. Our conversation begins with how Mr. Carnes started his journalistic investigation some three years ago and almost immediately stumbled upon an odd little church with a Spanish-speaking minister who came from a Russian Orthodoxy tradition. And in another part of town, he was also amazed to find an Afghan-Hispanic Muslim cooperating with a Chinese-American Jew to teach African-American kids strong morals. Our conversation not only covers these specific manifestations of New York religiosity, but also covers broader trends. We hold a fascinating conversation about how many studies of religion underestimate spiritual activity byfocusing only on churches or similar houses of worship that we tend to be familiar with. Add to this that many of these surveys and censuses are affected by under-reporting by African-American and immigrant churches that stay below the sociological radar for a variety of reasons. We also discuss how and why 1978 was a pivotal year for church growth in NYC and how religious life further changed in the 1990s under Mayor Giuliani. We then highlight some of the recent stories that Tony Carnes’s website has featured recently, including a look at Jackie Robinson’s religious background, an aspect of his life that was not covered in the recent movie, “42.” This prompts (West Coast) Tony to ask about the hubbub surrounding Tim Tebow and the New York Jets over the past year. A fascinating conversation ensues drawing in the likes of former Knicks guard Jeremy Lin and the pastoral route that former Jets’ lineman Michael Faulkner took with his life. This is when our conversation then turns to how religiosity has manifested itself in the world of small business in NYC, with our focus turning to Harlem’s Heaven (hat shop), Divine Connection Hair Salon, Blessed Pizza, Jesus’s Auto Body Shop, and a group of Korean limo drivers who hold Bible study sessions at 4 a.m. Tony Carnes makes several important observations at this point, namely that it is not often elites that change our social culture, but rather grassroots outsiders like all the folks we just mentioned. Moreover, we note that the recent discussion of the rise of “religious nones” in society is not picking up much of this unconventional religious behavior that goes on in the city. If you are only looking in the established pews of church buildings, synagogues, or mosques, you are likely to miss a great portion of the story. Tony discusses how his team of journalists will stop and investigate any store that has a Quran in the window or any business with a spiritual sounding name to see what is happening behind those doors. As this entire interview reveals, there is a great deal of religion that is occuring on a daily basis. Tony finishes the interview describing what his organization is up to, including plans underway to expand this model of investigative, data-driven journalism and the various workshops he offers to high school and college students as well as anyone else who is interested in what he is doing. Recorded: May 15, 2013.

RELATED LINKS

Tony Carnes’s profile on A Journey through NYC Religions

A Journey through NYC Religions main website.

Values Research Institute.

New York Glory: Religions in the City, edited by Tony Carnes and Anna Karpathakis.

Asian American Religions: The Making and Remaking of Borders and Boundaries, edited by Tony Carnes and Fenggang Yang.

Harlem’s Heaven Hat Boutique and the link to the video on A Journey’s website.

Divine Connection Hair Spa on Facebook.

Some of the businesses mentioned in the show, including Jesus’s Auto Body and Blessed Pizza are too small to maintain websites, but we greatly welcome any information that you can provie about them in the comment section below or on our Facebook Fan Page. Please forgive us if your posts get caught in our spam filter.

Timothy Dalrymple on Religion, Sports, and Jeremy Lin.

Barry Hankins on Jesus, Gin, and The Culture Wars

tonygill — Sun, 12 May 2013 08:00:22 +0000

Most astute social observers today agree that the United States is in the throes of a “culture war,” with issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage, and drug legalization taking center stage in many political debates. But what if I told you that such “culture wars” are not uncommon in US history? Indeed, Prof. Barry Hankins of Baylor University makes the argument that “cultural wars” are the default position in American history, and it was only during the 1930s – 1970s that we seemed to have been immune from such conflict. He illustrates this point with a detailed discussion of The Roaring Twenties (and the decades leading up to that time), when issues such as Prohibition, evolution, obscenity, and a weakening of Christianity were the hot topics of the time. We begin our discussion by noting the dramatic changes that the U.S. experienced around the turn of the 20th century, roughly from 1880 to 1920. Rapid industrialization and urbanization, combined with new forms of immigration, set the stage for wide array of new cultural challenges facing the nation, in general, and Christianity in particular. As the Roaring ’20s were known as the era of Prohibition (and the time of the “speak easy”), we start with that topic. Prof. Hankins reviews the history of the temperance movement and reveals some surprising findings, such that alcohol consumption in the US during the 1820s was among the highest in the world and that temperance movements did help to sober the country up. He notes this was true of Prohibition, as well, countering an often-used argument today regarding the legalization of drugs that such legal restrictions don’t really affect usage much. Our conversation turns to some of the more charismatic characters of the era with a focus on Billy Sunday, a forerunner of today’s “megachurch” pastors. Barry recounts Rev. Sunday’s life and how he harnessed his athletic fame in the name of evangelization. Billy Sunday’s story is a nice reminder that “media star preachers” are not just a phenomenon of the late 20th century, but emerged in an era when people were becoming increasingly concentrated in cities and mass media such as radio and theater was beoming more common. We also cover some of the more scandal-plagued preachers of the time including Aimee Semple-McPherson, J. Frank Norris, Daddy Grace, and Father Divine, reminding us that there probably is nothing new under the sun. We then take up the topic of the factionalization occuring within Christianity that is going on during this time — fundamentalists vs modernists. We discover that the liberal modernists tended to win these battles, often forcing more fundamentalist groups to break away and form new denominations. Again, this is reminiscent of our current time. The conversation then moves to an interesting puzzle that Barry is still thinking about, which is why the culture wars subsided between the 1930s and (roughly) 1980. We both offer us some speculation on this topic and finish off with additional thoughts about what the culture wars of the 1920s has to tell us about our culture wars today. Recorded: May 2, 2013.

RELATED LINKS

Barry Hankins bio at Baylor University’s Department of History.

Jesus and Gin: Evangelicalism, the Roaring Twenties, and Today’s Culture Wars, by Barry Hankins.

American Evangelicals: A History of a Mainstream Religious Movement, by Barry Hankins.

The Second Great Awakening and the Transcendentalists, by Barry Hankins.

RELATED PODCASTS

Matthew Sutton on Aimee Semple McPherson.

Mark Driscoll on the Growth of Mars Hill Church.

Thomas Kidd on the Great Awakening.

Rodney Stark on How Religion Benefits Everyone, Including Atheists

tonygill — Sun, 05 May 2013 08:00:21 +0000

Welcome new visitors. Join (and like) us at our Facebook Fan Page for regular updates, and be sure to tune in next week when we talk about Jesus & Gin!

Religious folks would agree that religion is pretty good for them. But is a more religious society good for the entire society as a whole, including non-believers? We take a look at the “positive spillover effects” that spiritual belief and church attendance has on the population as a whole with Prof. Rodney Stark, frequent guest and co-director of Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion. (Disclaimer: Baylor’s ISR is the sponsor of our podcast.) Our conversation begins with a discussion about how religious America really is. Recent students appear to indicate increasing non-participation, particularly among the young, and the newly-defined category of “nones” has become a regular talking point in the popular media. Prof. Stark puts these studies into perspective noting some methodological issues with these studies, but also notes that the “nones” — when examined more closely — actually behave rather religiously, including engaging in regular prayer. Rod mentions that the problem may not be so much as a loss of faith amongst the population, but rather a current weakness among churches to provide an adequate set of services. We then talk about a variety of benefits that a religious, and churched, population brings to society as a whole, including atheists. Our first stop on this journey deals with crime and its flipside, “pro-social behavior.” Despite having an image of a society out of control, Rod points out that “secular” (or “unchurched”) Europe has much higher crime rates in almost all categories except murder. We then discuss how and why religion may help to ameliorate crime by promoting pro-social behaviors, a seemingly obvious notion that has often been overlooked by criminologists. Religion not only decreases crime, but it promotes pro-social behavior such as helping people on the side of the road and donating blood, which moves us into a discussion about voluntarism. Contrary to the oft-cultivated notion that religious folks only provide charity or donate time to their own religious organizations, Rod points out that religious individuals are more engaged in secular organizations than secular folks. This moves our conversation into the realm of civic (political) involvement, and again the data show that religiously-active individuals shine in this area as well, and this includes not only evangelical Protestants, but Catholics, Jews, and members of other faith traditions. Tony then notes that being a “community volunteer” is not the only way to benefit a community, but rather being successful in one’s own chosen profession and not becoming a burden on society is also a way of benefitting the society at large. Rod talks about how religious individuals are, on average, more successful in business than secular individuals and are less likely to become a burden on society. This move us then to the issue of education and how homeschooling, promoted largely by religious individuals, has transformed the educational system to the point where many institutions of higher learning are taking note. Again, this provides a great many “positive externalities” for the local and national community. We then tackle intellectual life by playing off Mark Noll’s famous book about the lack of an “evangelical mind,” and Rod shows — to the contrary of Noll’s assertion — that religious individuals contribute greatly to intellectual life and high culture in the U.S. We finish off the interview with a discussion of health-related issues, including both physical and mental health. Both Tony and Rod share their various outrages at some of the very odd studies that have looked at the interconnection between religion and health. And just to spice things up on RoR, we get into a bit of a discussion about s-e-x, as well as how that relates to a bigger issue facing the Western world — fertility. Recorded: April 30, 2013.

America’s Blessings: How Religion Benefits Everyone, Including Atheists, by Rodney Stark.

The Triumph of Christianity: How the Jesus Movement Became the World’s Largest Religion, by Rodney Stark.

America’s Blessings: How Religion Benefits Everyone… Including Atheists, by Rodney Stark (available November 2012).

Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion.

RELATED PODCASTS

Rodney Stark on the Triumph of Christianity, Part I.

Rodney Stark on the Triumph of Christianity, Part II.

Rodney Stark on the Triumph of Christianity, Part III.

Rodney Stark on The Crusades.

Byron Johnson on More God, Less Crime.

Byron Johnson on Religion and Delinquency.

Daniel Hungerman on Religious Charity & Crowding Out.

Jeff Levin on Religion & Health.

Chris Bader on Ghosts, UFOs, and the Paranormal.

Paul Froese on America’s Four Gods.

Matthew Franck on Hosanna-Tabor and Ministerial Exemptions

tonygill — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 08:00:42 +0000

Join us at our Facebook Fan Page for updates on what new and interesting shows are in the queue!

Can a elementary school teacher at a private religious school be relieved of her duties because of difficulties with a diagnosed disability? Does such an incident apply under the “ministerial exemption” under the rules put forth by the Equal Employment & Opportunity Commission? These were the issues at stake in the recently decided Supreme Court case Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v EEOC (decided January 2012). While seemingly a minor case in the eyes of the general public, the surprising decision handed down by the nine SCOTUS justices will likely have a wide-reaching impact on religious liberty issues. Prof. Matthew Franck, director of the William E. and Carol G. Simon Center on Religion & the Constitution at the Witherspoon Institute in Princeton, New Jersey, helps us understand the details and broad scope of this historic decision. We begin by outlining the initial complaint in the case — how Cheryl Perich, a grade school instructor with numerous duties and a person designated as a “called teacher” (an important detail in the case), was not rehired after taking a leave of absence due to issues with narcolepsy. Matt explains how the conflict generated first made its way into a district court in Michigan and then proceeded up the chain of the legal system to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. The initial district court decision was to dismiss Mr. Perich’s complaint, but the 6th Circuit judges reversed this ruling arguing that she had been discriminated against. Prof. Franck explains how the legal process generally works and how it related to this case, and he further provides information about the “ministerial exemption” clause to most labor regulations. The “ministerial exemption” becomes the fulcrum point on which this case balanced and, in theory, allows for religious institutions to gain exceptions from certain anti-discrimination labor laws if the matter of discrimination impinges upon religious rights of conscience and the ability of a religious group to carry out its mission. Matt provides several examples of how this exemption would work in practice and notes that a legal test of this exemption has never made its way up to the Supreme Court until Hosanna-Tabor v EEOC. For the most part, the legal system has been fairly liberal in granting these exemptions. We then cover why the 6th Circuit Court reversed the lower court’s decision, with the explanation hinging upon a decision of how much time Ms. Perich spent on ministerial (religious) duties relative to other activities, such as teaching art. It is at this point that Tony reveals he may have eaten paste as a kid. Prof. Franck then takes us through the procedures on how this case moved to the SCOTUS and answers Tony’s question, “How did Hosanna-Tabor pay for the legal fees?” He reveals that a case of this magnitude often draws interested parties along the way, and this test of “ministerial exemption” drew the attention of groups like The Beckett Fund, which played an instrumental role in arguing the case. We then look at arguments on both sides of the case, with Matt positing that the Solicitor General’s lawyers (i.e., the government’s litigation team) may have made a significant error in its legal arguments. We also discuss how the “chattering classes” were making prognostications about this case and whether or not they thought it would be a close decision and in which direction the decision would fall. Surprisingly, we learn, the decision was a unamimous 9-0 victory for Hosanna-Tabor. Prof. Franck finishes the interview with what the implications of this case on the general issue of religious freedom as well as specific cases such as the legal rights of private businesses and volunteer organizations such as the Boy Scouts of America. Recorded: April 23, 2013.

Against the Imperial Judiciary: The Supreme Court versus the Soverignty of the People, by Matthew J. Franck.

Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v EEOC, et al. Suprme Court case.

RELATED PODCASTS

Phillip Muñoz on Catholic Bishops, Religious Liberty, and Health Care Mandates.

Gary Friesen on Christian Reconciliation Services

Tony Carnes on A Journey through NYC Religions

tonygill — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 08:00:29 +0000

Religion in New York City? Say it ain’t so! Well, we talk with journalist Tony Carnes, who over the past three years has been working on a project to document every nook and cranny of The Big Apple in a search for that city’s spiritual lifeblood. His multi-media endeavor, known as A Journey through New York City Religions, has uncovered a remarkably vibrant spiritual lanscape that is constantly changing as the city finds itself in the throes of constant immigration and emigration. We start our interview with a look at (East Coast) Tony’s life, discussing his upbringing in small town Texas as well as his first visit to NYC wherein he was pleased to find out he could order a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at The Four Seasons restaurant. He then explains his own personal religious development from a kid more interested in hot rods than in the Bible and how this changed while he was at the University of Texas. His journey then takes us around the globe, including a pit stop to study under Frances Schaeffer at L’Abri in Switzerland, until he finally lands a job as a journalist, contributing to such notable publications as Christianity Today, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Newsday. Our discussion probes a theme that has arisen several times before on this podcast series, namely why the mass media tends to overlook the nation’s religious life or portrays it in ways that are incongruent with people’s daily experience. Mr. Carnes then gets into the details of how he set up A Journey through NYC Religions based upon the changes he saw taking place in internet media and how that could be harnessed to explore stories that were largely being ignored. Our conversation then moves to a discussion of New York City itself and how it has changed over time, from what was once considered “Sodom and Gomorrah on the Hudson” in the late 19th century to its “burned out days” in the 1960s and ’70s, to what it has become today. He provides some interesting data on how religion, which appeared to be on the decline in the ’50s and ’60s, makes a remarkable turnaround in NYC starting in 1978, particularly with the growth of evangelical churches being founded in the city. We then discuss how Tony goes about this project including his initial plan for covering the 6,400 miles of roads in the city and what questions he asks of his religious subjects that he encounters. He also reveals the journalistic philosophy that undergirds his reporting, something known as “sympathetic objectivity,” and how this differs from “accountability journalism” that most other news outlets practice. (If you listen carefully at this point in the interview you can hear RoR’s very own canine mascot, Rocky Barkington, weigh in with his opinion.) We finish our interview with a few stories of Tony’s adventures, including trodding through one of New York’s biggest snowstorms to find a pastor’s house, his discovery of a Mayan evangelical church, and Tony’s reflections on what he has learned over the years of doing this project. Contrary to secularization theorists, or those folks who think secular culture is trumping religion, Mr. Carnes sees an awakening of spiritual fervor facilitated by the mixing of new people always feeding into this great metropolis. Starving to hear more specific stories of religion in New York, (West Coast) Tony invites (East Coast) Tony back on the show, to which Mr. Carnes gracefully agrees. Stay tuned. Recorded: April 19, 2013.

RELATED LINKS

Tony Carnes’s profile on A Journey through NYC Religions

A Journey through NYC Religions main website.

Values Research Institute.

New York Glory: Religions in the City, edited by Tony Carnes and Anna Karpathakis.

Asian American Religions: The Making and Remaking of Borders and Boundaries, edited by Tony Carnes and Fenggang Yang.

ProPublica, as mentioned in the podcast.

Carmel Chiswick on the Economics of American Judaism

tonygill — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 17:45:30 +0000

Your host, Tony Gill, is still on a short sabbatical. In the meantime, enjoy one of his favorite interviews from two years ago. We will return with new interviews shortly.

How has American Judaism changed over the course of the past two centuries? Using an economic approach that focuses on the importance of wage rates and time costs, Prof. Carmel Chiswick — University of Illinois, Chicago and the George Washington University — examines how the socio-economic context of the 19th century had a major impact on how immigrant Jews practiced their religion in America. Prof. Chiswick explains that higher wage rates and the subsequent higher opportunity cost of time led to a shortening of Jewish services, less emphasis on traditional religious education, a preference for secular higher education, and the need to import rabbis, cantors and other religious specialists from Europe. We trace how this influenced the growth of Reform and Conservative Judaism. The conversation then turns attention to the role of education in Jewish progress. While there is some degree of trade-off between religious and secular education, we later examine how traditional religious education (especially study of the Talmud) can act as a complement to secular studies. Other topics explored include the issue of inter-marriage, the relaxation of dietary restrictions, Chabad, and how the creation of modern Israel had a big impact on American Jews. We finish by speculating about the future of American Jewry and its impact on Judaism worldwide. Recorded: April 26, 2011.

RELATED LINKS

Carmel Chiswick’s website at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

Carmel Chiswisk’s website at the George Washington University.

The Economics of American Judaism by Carmel U. Chiswick.

The following links are not directly related to the content of the podcast, but were mentioned at the beginning of the episode. They represent folks who have helped direct traffic to our podcast series in recent months. A big thanks to them!

LDS Living.

The Western Tradition blog.

Michael McBride’s The Religious Marketplace.

Brad R.E. Wright’s blog.

Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion.

Internet Imagineering (Neil Luft and crew).

David Wills on Religious Charity and Taxes

tonygill — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 08:00:05 +0000

(While your host is taking a short break, we rebroadcast this interview from two years ago. The issues remain as timely today as they were then!)

David Wills, president of the National Christian Foundation (NCF) and a lawyer specializing in charitable giving and estate planning, joins our program to discuss the relationship between charitable giving, taxation and other government regulations. Our discussion starts on a broad philosophical level, examining how our society decides to allocate resources to solve various social problems — either via private charity or government intervention. We center our attention on disaster relief but observe that the pincipals we discuss apply to a wide range of social services. David reviews how his foundation operates and facilitates the relationship between donors and charitable organizations, which include both religious and secular organizations. Surprisingly, we discover that the NCF not only serves large philanthropic donors, but regular folks who might be donating just a couple thousand dollars each year. Tony notes that the NCF represents a unique entrepreneurial institution that allows individuals to make the most efficient use of their giving. We then discuss whether increases in taxation and government services have affected level and nature of charitable giveing. David provides an interesting grassroots perspective on this issue that contrasts with an earlier podcast we had with Daniel Hungerman. Our conversation turns to tax laws and other regulations affecting charitable organizations. David discusses how both tax rates and the regulatory defnition of what constitutes a charity can have a large impact on religious charity. He provides some insight into some potential legal and tax code changes on the horizon that may have a large impact on NGOs and donors. Anybody who runs, or donates to, a charitable organization will want to listen closely to what is happening as these changes are not widely discussed in the news media. Tony asks David about his thoughts on the Bush Administration’s Faith-Based Insiative. David finishes with some interesting observations about the role of megachurches with respect to these potential legal changes and his views on the future of megachurches contrasts with that of our previous guest, James Brettell. Recorded: March 23, 2011.

RELATED LINKS

The National Christian Foundation.

Investing in God’s Business, by Terry Parker, Gregory Sperry, and David Wills. (Free selection here.)

Family.Money: Five Questions Every Family Should Ask about Wealth, by David Wills, Terry Parker, and Gregory Sperry. (Free selection here.)

RELATED PODCASTS

Dan Hungerman on Religious Charity and Crowding Out.

Jay Hein on the Faith-Based and Community Initiative

Alessandra González on Islamic Feminism

tonygill — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 08:00:32 +0000

Does the term “Islamic feminism” sound counter-intuitive? Dr. Alessandra González, of John Jay College (CUNY) and Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion, explores how women in Kuwait are finding new ways to empower themselves and advocate for their interests in an environment where political Islam (or Islamism) is resurgent. Dr. González begins the interview by noting that our podcast series, which is approaching 150 episodes, is bereft of any discussion of feminism, a fact that Tony notes is correct due to his complete lack of knowledge on the topic. Alessandra shares how she came to study this topic, which admittedly is one that is not explored deeply and is often misunderstood in the world of academia. We then review common understandings of “feminism,” covering the various waves of this movement from its early incarnation in the West with women’s suffrage to more current understandings of the term. This discussion helps frame how feminism is understood in the US and Europe as compared to its incarnation in the Middle East, or Kuwait specifically. Alessandra notes that few, if any, of her interview subjects considered themselves as “feminists.” This opens the door to a discussion of the Kuwaiti landscape and Dr. González reviews the recent history of Kuwait as it relates to women, noting the influences of British influence, oil wealth, pan-Arabism, the opening of education to women in the mid-1960s, and the surprising influence of the Iraq invasion of the country in 1990. During this latter event, women proved to be very crucial to the war effort and helped to reshape female roles in society. We also cover three sources of authority in Kuwaiti society including religious authority (shari’a law), political authority, and community authority. These three sources of authority are shown to be in tension, yet provide openings for feminist activism. With additional discussion on the role of two ideological/theological groups in society — Islamists and Liberals — we inch closer to a definition of what it means to be an Islamic feminist. We then move from a discussion of the role of higher education to the wearing of the Islamic veil (hijab) and how that is not seen as a symbol of patriarchal oppression but a symbol for women who want to assert their religious identity through their own choice. Interestingly, younger women are more likely to wear the veil than the previous generation, especially after September 11, 2001, a trend that Tony has noticed on his own university campus. Throughout our conversation, Alessandra illustrates many of the issues she brings up with comments from women and men she interviewed during her various trips to Kuwait. We then talk more specifically about what Islamic feminism represents, noting once again that this is not a term that many would use to refer to themselves in Kuwaiti society. The focus turns to three important aspects of the movement including an academic component, the adoption of a comprehensive Islamic worldview, and a need to foster cultural compatability to a society that considers local community and tribal relations to be important. Tony notes that this seems to be a grassroots movement without specifically-identified leaders as we’ve seen in the West with individuals such as Gloria Steinem, a contention that Alessandra agrees with and brings more context to. Alessandra also highlights the important role that men play in this movement as well. In our closing moments, we share some observations about Alessandra’s methodology, namely examining what it was like to be a non-Muslim Westerner studying this topic. Dr. González then shares some of the insights she brought back from her most recent visit to Kuwait after publishing her book and what some of the grand lessons she learned throughout the course of her study into this fascinating topic. Recorded: March 25, 2013.

RELATED LINKS

Alessandra González’s bio at Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion.

Islamic Feminism in Kuwait: The Politics and Paradoxes, by Alessandra L. González.

RELATED PODCASTS

Nathan Brown on the Muslim Brotherhood.

Ahmet Kuru on Islam in Europe.

James Felak on Picking Pontiffs and Pope Francis I

tonygill — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 08:00:47 +0000

Visit our Facebook Fan Page, help us get to 400 ”likes,” and tell us what name you would have chosen had you been picked pope!

Unless you’ve taken up the hermit lifestyle, you probably have heard about the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI and the selection of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the Catholic Church’s new pontiff. The help us understand what the Catholic papacy is all about, and how the Church transitions from one leader to the next, we call upon James Felak, professor of history at the University of Washington – a frequent and popular guest on our show. Prof. Felak begins the discussion with an overview of what role the pope plays in the Catholic Church, including his responsibilities in writing encyclicals and serving as the Court of Final Instance. We examine the pontiff’s role in relation to a presidency or corporate executive, two of the more pervasive analogies in the popular media, and James explains why those models are not an accurate description of the pope’s duties. This becomes an important insight as we discuss whether or not a new pontiff can take the Church in a radically different direction, as many pundits have been speculating in recent weeks. James likens the Church to an elephant that can plod along with force in a single direction, but has trouble making rapid turns. The vast size and bureaucratic continuity of the Church makes it difficult for any single pontiff to dramatically alter the institution. We also review the relationship between the Holy See and the various bishops and national bishops’ conferences around the world. Attention then turns to the process of papal transition and we examine closely the decision of Benedict XVI to resign, the Conclave of Cardinals, and who finally emerged on the balcony shortly after the white smoke appeared. Prof. Felak brings some interesting insights into the last pope’s resignation based upon Benedict’s scholarship on norms and meta-norms. The health of Benedict XVI becomes a topic for discussion and James provides some interesting observations on the role of suffering in the Church and how this related to John Paul II. Only on Research on Religion can you hear such fascinating and deep insights! We move then to the selection process, looking at both the politics leading up to the Conclave as well as speculating about what went on behind closed doors. Tony asks James whether the short notice provided by Benedict was a strategic move to limit politicking among the Cardinals. After all, he stepped down only three weeks after his announcement during on the the busiest months of the Catholic calendar (e.g., Lent and Palm Sunday), meaning that the Cardinals had to hustle out to Rome, conduct their business, and (hopefully) choose a new pontiff by Easter. Tony also peppers Prof. Felak with additional questions about whether Benedict will be setting a new precedent among popes and how much outside influence from different Catholic factions and secular governments plays a role in the election process. Our discussion also explores who the Cardinals are, how they are selected, and what roles they play in the Church. Our conversation also covers the issues of secrecy surrounding the Conclave, whether there has been any leaks, who gets on the first ballot, how candidates get eliminated during the voting process, and the duration of the event. James notes that Tony tends to be interested in these strategic details, but then Tony reminds him that he is a political economist after all! Finally, James offers up his reflections on the selection of Bergoglio with a fascinating observation that nobody else in the media has pointed out, and one that might be critical for the direction of the Church. To find out what that observation is, you will have to listen. We also talk about how big of a deal it is that Francis I is from Argentina and that he is a Jesuit, as well as his theological and ideological leanings. And what about that name Francis? We talk why that name was chosen, why popes take certain names, and what name James would have taken had he been picked for pope. We finish with Tony asking James why non-Catholics should care about who is chosen as pope, prompting a very interesting response about the role of ecumenism. Recorded: March 18, 2013.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. James Felak’s biography at the University of Washington.

After Hitler, Before Stalin: Catholics, Communists, and Democrats in Slovakia, 1945-1948, by James Felak.

James Martin, S.J.’s writings at America magazine (referenced in interview).

Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclicals at the Vatican archives and books at Amazon.com (referenced in interview).

RELATED PODCASTS

Jeremy Lott on the Media’s Pope-O-Rama.

John M. Sweeney on the Pope Who Quit.

James Felak on Vatican Council II.

James Felak on Pope John Paul II and Communism.

James Felak on Pope Pius XII, The Wartime Pontiff.

Jeremy Lott on the Media’s Pope-O-Rama

tonygill — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 08:00:01 +0000

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How well did the popular media do in covering the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, the Conclave of Cardinals, and the election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope Francis I? There is nobody better to ask this question of than Jeremy Lott, editor of RealClearReligion (www.realclearreligion.org), a website devoted to aggregating news from around the world on all things religious. Jeremy, a frequent guest on our program and a Catholilc himself, has a broad perspective on the media’s coverage of events within the Vatican over the past month — the good, the bad, and the ugly. We begin with a general assessment of how the media reacted overall. Jeremy mentions that there were some definite bright spots including John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter, but that much of the popular press tended to view the resignation of Benedict XVI and the election of Francis through the lens of American politics. Given that many within the media, especially those general reporters who were assigned this beat in February, come from a class of people who are not very religious, it is not surprising that much of the reporting was awkward and misinformed. We then divide up the past month into three distinct phases: 1) the resignation of Benedict XVI; 2) the Conclave of Cardinals; and 3) the election of Pope Francis I. While much of the media was surprised by the resignation of Benedict, Jeremy shares some fascinating observations about various clues that should have led us to expect such an event, including reference to a bear with a backpack on Benedict’s papal seal and a certain action he took at the tomb of Celestine V. Following this discussion, we explore the media speculation surrounding what would occur during the Conclave and look at some of the dominant questions being asked, including whether the Cardinals would “get with the times” and pick an African pontiff and bring the Church into the 21st century. Throughout the interview, Tony and Jeremy share some of the questions that they were asked by reporters recently and how frustrating those experiences were. We also talk about the intense focus on the Vatican smokestack and the appearance of a seagull signalling something — anything! — all of which demonstrated how little the media had to say about the closed-door proceedings at the Conclave. (Tony shares his frustration that the announcement of Francis’s election pre-empted his meme about the smokestack and Jonathan Livingston Seagull from going viral.) Jeremy contrasts some of the questions he received from the media with more procedural questions he received from his Protestant neighbors in northern Washington. Finally, it is on to the election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the new pontiff and how that surprised both the Vegas oddsmakers and pundits. Jeremy explains why we shouldn’t have been surprised and how the media reacted to the personality and character of Bergolio. In the last ten minutes of our interview, Tony asks Jeremy what other news stories have flown under the radar amidst all the frenzy about the new pope. He covers three big news stories that should have received more attention including the dramatic success of The Bible television series on The History Channel, the Baptist missionary doctor who apparently cured a child born with HIV, and (of all things) Latter Day lactivists, a brewing controversy in Salt Lake City. Recorded: March 16, 2013.

RELATED LINKS

RealClearReligion — a great place for all your religious news! (You can also link to RealClearScience and RealClearBooks here too.)

“Is the Pope Good for America?” featuring Jeremy Lott in The Guardian.

“The Man Who Didn’t Want to Be Pope,” by Jeremy Lott at RealClearReligion.

“What If You Get a Bad Pope?” by Jeremy Lott at RealClearReligion.

“Please God Not an American Pope,” by Jeremy Lott at RealClearPolitics.

“Rise of the Latter Day Lactivists,” by Peggy Fletcher Stack in The Salt Lake Tribune.

“Doctor Behind HIV Cure a Former Missionary,” by Tiffany Owens in World Magazine.

William F. Buckley (Christian Encouter Series), by Jeremy A. Lott.

In Defense of Hypocrisy: Picking Sides in the War on Virtue, by Jeremy A. Lott.

The Warm Bucket Brigade: The Story of the American Vice Presidency, by Jeremy A. Lott.

I’ll Never Forget It: Memoirs of a Political Accident from East Baltimore, by Marvin Mandel, Jeremy Lott, and Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr.

RELATED PODCASTS

Jeremy Lott on Real Clear Religion.

Jon M. Sweeney on the Pope Who Quit.

Jeremy Lott on Episcopalians, Ex-Athiests, Health Care, and German Circumcision.

Jeremy Lott on America’s Shifting Religious Election Coalition.